July 06

Sosa, Clemens, and Martinez snubbed for baseball all-star game.: Hideki Matsui, Carlos Delgado, and Albert Pojols make their debuts in Major League Baseball's midsummer classic. 29 of the 63 selections are rookies to the All Star Game, to be played July 15 at US Cellular Field (formerly new Comiskey Park) in Chicago.

June 22

Tampa Bay wins another pro football championship!: Like their NFL bretheren, the Buccaneers, the Tampa Bay Storm are champions of the Arena Football League, having dispatched the Arizona Rattlers in today's ArenaBowl XVI. The 43-29 victory by the Storm gives them their fifth AFL title, the most of any team in the league. Head Coach Tim Marcum hoisted his seventh, his third in Tampa to go along with two each in Denver and Detroit.

June 20

Arena League coach killed in car crash: ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- Arena Football League coach Fran Papasedero was killed in a crash after losing control of the car he was driving. The 34-year-old coach of the Orlando Predators was driving alone on a city street Thursday night when the car overturned several times, police said Friday. It was not immediately known if speeding, alcohol or drugs were involved, Lt. Charles Robinson said. He did not know if Papasedero was wearing a seat belt. Papasedero replaced Jay Gruden, the brother of Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden, as coach in 2001 when Gruden returned to play quarterback for the Predators. Papasedero was an assistant with Orlando for four seasons. ``I already miss him so much,'' Gruden said. ``He was a breath of fresh air whenever he walked into a room. He was the life of the party, always going to put a smile on everybody's face. That's going to be irreplaceable.''

May 29

Politicians get into ACC/Big East conflict: and it should surprise no one. Senators from several states with Big East member colleges are asking Syracuse, Boston College, and Miami not to leave because, they believe, it would devastate college athletics. Don't these scumbags have better things to do?

May 26

This just in: U.S. to host Women's World Cup: In a decision that came as a surprise to no one, FIFA has decided to award the 2003 Women's World Cup to the United States after relieving China of its hosting duties due to the SARS virus. Gee, I wonder what the odds will be against anybody other than the Americans winning the World Cup?

May 17

That Disney championship magic is back!: Last fall, the Anaheim Angels, then owned by Disney, won an improbable World Series in baseball. Now, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim are in the Stanley Cup Finals. They beat the Minnesota Wild 2-1 to sweep the Western Conference Finals, and will play the winner from the East, either the New Jersey Devils or the Ottawa Senators.

May 15

London joins the hunt for the 2012 Summer Olympics.: Along with New York and Madrid, London seeks to the thirtieth Olympiad. Toronto and several others are probable bidders as well. With the mood of the IOC right now, London may be the only candidate from an English-speaking nation that has a legitimate chance to win.

April 29

Smawley's innovation changed game: According to my local paper, the Forest City Daily Courier, Belus Van Smawley from the nearby community of Ellenboro, is one of eight men credited with inventing the jump shot. He died last Thursday, which went by unnoticed by yours truly.

December 30

The NFL playoff matchups are set.: So who will be fighting it out in San Diego for the Super Bowl title? I think that the Titans will stun the Raiders in the AFC championship game and meet the Eagles in the Big Game. My prediction for the Super Bowl: Eagles 31, Titans 24.

November 30

Guess who's back! Back again!: North Carolina beat Stanford for the Owens Corning Preseason NIT title last night in New York, and are now 5-0 on the season, three wins away from matching their win total from last season. Things don't get easier as they play Illinois and Kentucky next week, but Tar Heel confidence is high right about now, especially after knocking off Kansas.

November 02

New York is US candidate for 2012 Olympic bid: The Big Apple beat out San Francisco for the right to bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics. Can New York overcome an IOC still upset with their treatment by Congress over the Salt Lake City bidding scandal and beat out such cities as Paris, Moscow, and London?